Tag Archive: Sangenjaya

The Squeeze: Come 17:00pm in Shibuya & Shinjuku it’s time for the trip home on the Metro. It really is something to behold when one sees how a multitude of people “hell bent” on getting into an available underground carriage in order to make that trip home, “make like sardines in a tin”. In Shinjuku, they even have official “people pushers” employed by the underground, to assist in the process of squeezing as many people as possible on the train.

The “home time” squeeze.

Travelling down to Shibuya to see the famous crossing that provides access for five different Zebra crossings, all at a road junction near Shibuya 109. Managed to get an elevated spot in Starbucks from which I got a couple of photos.

Toko is the pre-eminent toilet bowl producer in Japan. I think I alluded to the fact in an earlier post that I just love their “heated seat” technology toilets. In furtherance to this
I engaged in the process of finding where they were made. As it turned out, the showrooms where sited near Shibuya Station. So a very entertaining afternoon was spent perusing both kitchen arrangements (they now do kitchens) and toilet bowls and cyclonic flush technology. nb. perhaps an opening for James Dyson of carpet cleaning fame. You may find this hard to believe but the technology I am told, is moving on. There are toilets now in the pipe line (so to speak) that analyse faecal matter to enable diagnosis of impending maladies.
Some of the architectural highlights like the Gakuen Cocoon Tower, which houses a fashion outlet Mode Gakuen. A Digital concept company HAL IT, and Shuto Iko medical treatments & care. It designed by Tange Associates and completed in 2008.

Like this:

Arrived Narita International to clear blue skies and sunshine. The shuttle and then train in to the city took just over an hour and it was heartening to recognise familiar landmarks as one began to orientate oneself once again to the sprawling metropolis that is Tokyo.I had forgotten quite how delightful the prevalence of courtesy and manners were when one is out and about shopping or merely walking and exploring downtown Shibuya. The assault on the senses by lights, sounds, and traffic is all consuming.Wandering around the shopping streets, I was struck by the number of “Poodle Parlours” and shops selling miniature dogs. There appears to be a predilection for miniatures in Tokyo. I guess the size of dog is more conducive to apartment living .Prices were also fairly elevated. The few that I saw were anywhere between two and three thousand pounds!Well time marches on and we are expecting number2 daughter and boyfriend and also a good friend from “Blighty” to arrive today as a precursor to us all sharing Christmas together.25.12.15Christmas day saw all seven of us out to a gourmet michelin restaurant called Au bon Accueil. Seven beautifully prepared dishes, exquisitely presented along with appropriate wines. Based in the Setagaya Ku suburb, this delightful little restaurant only has room for fifteen or so covers.Rising to leave I went along to thank and compliment the chef who, graciously came out to the street to wave us bye bye.27.12.15Caught up with some of the news from ‘Blighty’. Quite sad to see the images of flooding and flood damage that appears to have hit N.W. England.

31.12.15New Years Eve, saw us at the Park Hyatt Tokyo for afternoon tea that stretched into early evening.Later we all repaired down to a Shinto shrine called “Kitazwa Hachiman” to celebrate the coming of the New Year.02.01.16As with every new year celebration, a period of re-adjustment ensues that takes a couple of days to re-engage with normality.

“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert”. - J Robert Oppenheimer.